Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 10, 1 October 2005 — The life-giving gift of Water [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The life-giving gift of Water

Mohala i ka wai ka maka o ka pua "Unfolded by the water are the faces of the flowers" (Flowers thrive where there is water, as thriving people are found where living conditions are good.) This 'ōlelo shows how well early Hawaiians knew that water was a necessity for life and heahh. The interwoven relationship between water and life is also

demonstrated by the Hawaiian word for wealth, waiwai, a doubling of wai, the word for water. Mo'olelo tell us of the gift of water from the gods. One such story tells of Kāne and Kanaloa's hike into Mānoa. They started out late in the afternoon and rested at a plaee called Keapapa. Kanaloa teased Kāne by asking for water where none was to be seen. Kāne, however, could hear water underground, and so, obligingly, he thrust his staff into the earth and water gushed forth. This spring was called Kapunahou, the new spring. Kapunahou became a new source of drinking water for

grateful area residents, who previously had to carry water from springs in Kamō'ili'ili. Today, Kapunahou is located on the grounds of Punahou School, whieh takes its name from the spring. On another occasion, Kāne was traveling around the island of O'ahu when he eame upon a small group of people who were fishing near Kawela Bay. No one recognized him, so he stayed a while. That evening, he accompanied the group to get fresh water from a source in a valley. It was a long walk, and the group became weary. They stopped to rest at the entrance to the valley, still a distance from the water source. The people watched in surprise as Kāne stood and used his staff to strike a large stone that would become known as Waikāne. Immediately, fresh water poured from the stone. Later, the water created a fresh-water pond used for raising fish. Modern science agrees that

water is essential for life and heakh. Human beings ean live for weeks without food, but life continues only a few days without water. In fact, the human body is about 60 percent water. Water functions in digestion to liquefy food and transport nutrients throughout the body, and it maintains tissue size by filling every eell and spaces between the cells. Water keeps the brain functioning, maintains blood levels and flow, keeps kidneys cleansing the blood, and aids in waste disposal from all tissues in the body. It lubricates joints and cushions organs, preventing injury, and keeps the body temperature constant, preventing overheating. Without water, most body functions deteriorate rapidly. Eight glasses of water a day is recommended to keep all body functions at their best, and the body's need for water increases with exercise and hard physical work. The record shows the poor heahh statistics of Kānaka Maoli today. Yet before outside inAuenee, Native Hawaiians were a hardy and healthy people. The ancestors were tall, lean, muscular, and had wellproportioned bodies. Today, heavy reliance on harmful western foods such as soda and other sweetened beverages, snacks and chips, and large servings of "fast food," contribute to poor heahh among Kānaka Maoli. Many of these new foods are devoid of protective nutrients and contain large amounts of sugar, salt and harmful fat. It is time to take a hard look, to change, and to help others switch to healthier foods and lifestyles. A return to healthier cultural traditions ean make a real differenee for the family. Try to make garden-fresh vegetable food, 'ai, the staple of family meals again. Drink water instead of carbonated and sweetened fruit-flavored drinks. Teach children early about the gifts of Kāne and Kanaloa and help them choose to drink eight glasses of water eaeh day. Set an example for the keiki. E3

Y0UR HEALĪH • OLAKINO

m of human body weight is made up of water Amount of daily fluid intake recommended for good health - and more in the case of heavy exercise, heat or sickness Average time a human being ean survive without water in a warm climate of public middle school students in Hawai'i drink one or more soda a week consumption contributes to obesity, tooth decay, osteoporosis and diabetes To be tested for diabetes, eall your family doctor or the Native Hawaiian Health Care System on your island. Source: Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Papa Ola Lōkahi.

By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Dr. PH„ R.D.